The Journal, Tuesday, October 8

In today’s Journal * Silly Quote of the Day * Topic: Stick to Your Guns * Today * Of Interest * A couple of notes * The Numbers Silly Quote of the Day “No, you don’t need to outline, but you really need to stop and ask yourself questions before you write one word:” PJ Parrish in “What’s Your Point? Figuring Out What Goes Into Each Chapter” at https://killzoneblog.com/2019/10/whats-your-point-figuring-outwhat-goes-into-each-chapter.html. Really? “You don’t need to outline, but [you need to outline.]” Seriously? Committed much? (grin) Topic: Stick to Your Guns In my book Punctuation for Writers, there’s a whole section on … Read more

The Journal, Monday, October 7

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * First * Topic: POV (Point Of View) * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day (a lesson I haven’t learned well enough yet)       First, let me just say out loud that I strongly agree with Sean Monaghan’s post “There Are Lots of Ways to Write” over on PWW today. That being said, I’ve tried and dismissed the advice that is most often batted back and forth in writing groups and conferences and (I’ve heard) on “boards,” whatever those are. Personally, I can’t follow that … Read more

The Journal, Friday, October 4

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Yesterday * Licensing Stuff * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “A story has no beginning or end: arbitrarily one chooses the moment of experience from which to look back or from which to look ahead.” Graham Greene Yesterday we just got out of the house for most of the day. We enjoyed lunch and shopping and then got the oil changed on my pickup over in Sierra Vista. It even got a bath in one of those car wash places that grabs your tires and … Read more

The Journal, Thursday, October 3

In today’s Journal * Yesterday * Of Interest * The Numbers Yesterday, our lady cat Hannah passed at around 9:30 a.m. Mona was at work. Hannah was her special girl, so I spent the balance of the day washing and putting away things, clearing the house of unnecessary reminders. Later, when my little girl cat began to roam around the house looking for Hannah, I sat down with her and explained that Hannah wouldn’t be around anymore. I know, many believe all she heard is “blah, blah, blah.” But I believe she understands every word I say. Thing is, if … Read more

The Journal, Wednesday, October 2

In today’s Journal * Two days ago * Of Interest * The Numbers Well, two days ago I got through about half of my novel or novella without recognizing an ending. So yesterday I continued to read off and on as more pressing personal events permitted. I got a little farther. Today will be much the same, still dependent on those more pressing matters. I’m posting today mostly to get the info in “Of Interest” out to you. Talk with you again soon. Of Interest For something every writer needs to learn, see “Just Bloom” at https://prowriterswriting.com/just-bloom/. See “Amazon is … Read more

The Journal, Monday, September 30

In today’s Journal * Today, I hope * Unfortunately * Of Interest * The Numbers Today I hope to read my novel/novella and recognize what it is. I say “recognize” because this will be a subconscious reading and recognition (or not). Either way, I won’t evoke the conscious mind to “decide” what to do next. Not my job. If you don’t understand the difference, email me and I’ll try to explain further. Awhile back I wrote and published (right here in a series of topics first) what I commonly call The Critical Voice Book: Quiet the Critical Voice (and Write … Read more

The Journal, Sunday, September 29

In today’s Journal * I was certain * Topic: Preparation (Learning) Breeds Confidence * Thanks for your concerns * On the personal writing front * Of Interest * The numbers I was certain earlier this month that I’d be finished with the novel before the month was out. Looks like it’ll be October. Unless I can write another 30,000 words or so today and tomorrow. (grin) Still, it’s just not a big deal. It comes as it comes and I have a lot of other stuff I’m doing. (See the update in “On the personal writing front” below.) Here’s the … Read more

The Journal, Saturday, September 28

In today’s Journal * Nothing today * Topic: What I Missed * Oh, the rough night? * Of Interest * The numbers Nothing today other than the topic below and whatever’s in Of Interest. Had a rough night last night. Topic: What I Missed There are two key parts to this topic: preparation and confidence in one’s self and one’s abilities. Naturally, the former fuels the latter. If you are appropriately prepared, you have more confidence in what you do. More confidence that you will be successful. Preparation is key. Anyone who’s ever taken an exam in school understands that … Read more

The Journal, Friday, September 27

In today’s Journal * Topic: On Licensing * Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow * The numbers Topic: On Licensing Yesterday, I talked with my wife about separating our professional income from licensing my IP from our personal income from a variety of sources (my social security, my USMC retirement, her day job, and so on). In any business, this is necessary. She mentioned that we currently have two registered LLCs: StoneThreadPublishing.com (hereafter referred to as STP) and HarveyStanbrough.com (hereafter referred to as HS.com). And she argued that income derived from STP is professional income, but income derived from HS.com (mentoring, teaching, … Read more

The Journal, Wednesday, September 25

In today’s Journal * I haven’t featured * Rambling * The numbers I haven’t featured Lee Lofland for awhile in this Journal despite regularly receiving his posts in my inbox. Lee is a retired detective with about a million years’ experience. I feel fortunate to have his inadvertent input for my crime and detective novels. His most recent offering, “Shooting Fish in a Barrel: Repeat Offenders,” is worth a look. See https://www.leelofland.com/shooting-fish-in-a-barrel-repeat-offenders/. *** Goodreads ticks me off. There, I said it. I’ve had an account with them for several years, but when I tried to log in today they said … Read more